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Newsdeck

Welcoming Starbucks Is Adding Needle-Disposal Boxes, Report Says

Starbucks Corp. -- recognizing it’s often a safe space for the most vulnerable visitors -- has installed needle-disposal boxes in some locations.

 

The coffee giant has added the boxes in at least two dozen U.S. markets, Business Insider reported. The company did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

The chain has been training employees to treat anyone who walks in the door as a customer, whether they intend to make a purchase or not. The policy move followed a highly publicized confrontation in Philadelphia last April where a store manager called police on two black patrons. The open-door policy offers a fresh set of challenges, employees have said, from more homeless or mentally ill visitors and even a surprise bathroom birth.

Workers called for the chain to install needle-collection boxes in its bathrooms as employees have reported finding blood and needles, Business Insider reported, citing an Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigation. DM

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